Monotheism & Polytheism Tauheed & Shirk Monotheism & Polytheism

Belief in God (Tawheed) First Article Of Faith: Belief in God (Tawheed)

Literal Meaning of Tauheed: 01:Unity 02:Oneness 03:Being one 04:Unification 05:Singularity

Technical Meaning of Tauheed 01:Belief in Oneness of God 02:Believing in singularity of divine power

Tawheed,it is important part of Islam Tawheed,it is important part of Islam. Tawheed  is an Arabic word which means ‘oneness’ and ‘unity.’ In Islamic terminology it means the oneness of God. It is a fundamental doctrine of Islam referring to the oneness of God in all its meanings and aspects,

the declaration that ‘there is no God but Allah’ is called Tawheed the declaration that ‘there is no God but Allah’ is called Tawheed. . God has no partner (shirk), He exists by Himself. Nothing can rival Him as a source of power or love. There is no one worthy of worship other than God. He is not an abstract concept. He is always near us; He cares for us and we owe our existence to Him alone.

This means that in addition to the fact of there being only one Being who enjoys the status of divinity and possesses divine powers, there is also the fact that no-one else can have a share in His divine attributes.

These include the power of creating and sustaining the universe with all its countless bodies in cosmic and land, and power of sustaining and nourishing our world, and power of governing all the happenings in the heavens and on earth; all of these are directly managed by God.

No representative or deputy of God has any power-either independent or delegated –over the events of the universe, as The Quran gives us guidance:

وَٱلشَّمۡسَ وَٱلۡقَمَرَ وَٱلنُّجُومَ مُسَخَّرَٲتِۭ بِأَمۡرِهِۦۤ‌ۗ أَلَا لَهُ ٱلۡخَلۡقُ وَٱلۡأَمۡرُ‌ۗ تَبَارَكَ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّ ٱلۡعَـٰلَمِينَ

And (He created) the sun and the moon and the stars, subjected to His command. Beware, for Him is the creation and the command. Glorious is Allah, the Lord of all the worlds. (AL-ARAF:54)

ٱللَّهُ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ٱلۡحَىُّ ٱلۡقَيُّومُ‌ۚ لَا تَأۡخُذُهُ ۥ سِنَةٌ۬ وَلَا نَوۡمٌ۬‌ۚ لَّهُ مَا فِى ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَمَا فِى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ‌ۗ مَن ذَا ٱلَّذِى يَشۡفَعُ عِندَه إِلَّا بِإِذۡنِهِۦ‌ۚ يَعۡلَمُ مَا بَيۡنَ أَيۡدِيهِمۡ وَمَا خَلۡفَهُمۡ‌ۖ وَلَا يُحِيطُونَ بِشَىۡءٍ۬ مِّنۡ عِلۡمِهِۦۤ إِلَّا بِمَا شَآءَ‌ۚ وَسِعَ كُرۡسِيُّهُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضَ‌ وَلَا يَـُٔودُهُ ۥ حِفۡظُهُمَا‌ۚ وَهُوَ ٱلۡعَلِىُّ ٱلۡعَظِيمُ

God: there is no deity save Him, the Living, the Eternal One God: there is no deity save Him, the Living, the Eternal One. Neither slumber nor sleep overtakes Him. His is what the heavens and the earth contain. Who can intercede with Him except by His permission?

He knows all about the affairs of men at present and in the future He knows all about the affairs of men at present and in the future. They can grasp only that part of His knowledge, which He wills. His throne is as vast as the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of both does not weary Him. He is the Exalted, the Immense One.” (AL_Baqarah:255)

Importance of Tauheed

Fundamental to the religious structure of Islam is the concept of tawheed, or monotheism. As the seed is to tree, so is tawheed to Islam. For monotheism in Islam does not mean simply belief in one God, but in God’s oneness in all aspects. No one is allowed to share in His oneness . .

If you study The Holy Quran, you will find in most places concept of tauheed, but let me tell that the Whole Quran fulfilled with tauheed. إِنَّ إِلَـٰهَكُمۡ لَوَٲحِدٌ۬ رَّبُّ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٲتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَا بَيۡنَہُمَا

surely your God is but One, the Lord of the heavens and the earth and what is between them, and Lord of the points of the sunrise (Al-Saffat:3-4)

Tauheed,it is the basic pillar or tenet of all religions ,it is preached by all prophets, Prophets had a fundamental mission to give awareness of tauheed, as in The Quran:

وَمَآ أَرۡسَلۡنَا مِن قَبۡلِكَ مِن رَّسُولٍ إِلَّا نُوحِىٓ إِلَيۡهِ أَنَّهُ ۥ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّآ أَنَا۟ فَٱعۡبُدُونِ

And We did not send before you any messenger but We revealed to him that there is no god but I, so worship Me. (Al-Ambyah:25)

Shirk & Its meaning

literal meaning of shirk 01- Partnership 02-Association 03- Sharing 04-Comparison 05-Giving equality.

Shirk; it is a kind of unforgivable and unpardonable sin, as in The Holy Quran: إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَغۡفِرُ أَن يُشۡرَكَ بِهِۦ وَيَغۡفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَٲلِكَ لِمَن يَشَآءُ‌ۚ وَمَن يُشۡرِكۡ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدۡ ضَلَّ ضَلَـٰلاَۢ بَعِيدًا

Surely, Allah does not forgive the ascribing of a partner to Him and forgives anything short of that for whomsoever He wills. And whoever ascribes a partner to Allah, has indeed gone far astray. (Al-Nissah:116) Hazrat Muhammad (S.A.W) said that “association with Allah is the greatest sin”. Also you will find the admonition of Luqman in The Quran:

وَإِذۡ قَالَ لُقۡمَـٰنُ لِٱبۡنِهِۦ وَهُوَ يَعِظُهُ ۥ يَـٰبُنَىَّ لَا تُشۡرِكۡ بِٱللَّهِ‌ۖ إِنَّ ٱلشِّرۡكَ لَظُلۡمٌ عَظِيمٌ۬

And when Luqman said to his son while he was advising him, "My dear son, do not ascribe partners to Allah. Indeed, ascribing partners to Allah (shirk) is grave transgression. (Luqman:13)

Types of Shirk Shirk in existence Shirk in attributes Shirk in worship

Shirk in existence Sharing something in entity of Allah, For example someone believes that there is more than One God or Allah has parents or He takes son.

the One to whom belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth, and who did neither have a son, nor is there any partner to him in the kingdom, and who has created everything and designed it in a perfect measure.

And they have coined gods, other than Him, who do not create any thing, rather they themselves are created, and they possess no power to cause harm or benefit even to themselves, nor do they have any power over death or life or resurrection. (Al-Furqan:02,3)

مَا ٱتَّخَذَ ٱللَّهُ مِن وَلَدٍ۬ وَمَا ڪَانَ مَعَهُ ۥ مِنۡ إِلَـٰهٍ‌ۚ إِذً۬ا لَّذَهَبَ كُلُّ إِلَـٰهِۭ بِمَا خَلَقَ وَلَعَلَا بَعۡضُهُمۡ عَلَىٰ بَعۡضٍ۬‌ۚ سُبۡحَـٰنَ ٱللَّهِ عَمَّا يَصِفُونَ

Allah did not take to a son, nor was there any god with Him Allah did not take to a son, nor was there any god with Him. Had there been so, every god would have taken away what he created and each one of them would have been aggressive against the other. Pure is Allah from what they describe. (Al-Mumnoon:91)

Shirk in attributes It has two parts: Sharing in the such qualities which are only in Allah’s possession . Or believing that Allah has same qualities as human being or other things have, means resemblance or comparison to Allah with others.

لَيۡسَ كَمِثۡلِهِۦ شَىۡءٌ۬‌ۖ 01-None can be compared with Him. 02-You could not find example for Allah (Al-Shoorah:11)

Shirk in worship Bowing down before other than Allah, Observing prostration before other except Allah. Calling other save Allah.

Worship only Allah and do not associate with Him. وَٱعۡبُدُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَلَا تُشۡرِكُواْ بِهِۦ شَيۡـًٔ۬ا‌ۖ Worship only Allah and do not associate with Him. (Al-Nisah:36)

ذَٲلِڪُمُ ٱللَّهُ رَبُّكُمۡ‌ۖ لَآ إِلَـٰهَ إِلَّا هُوَ‌ۖ خَـٰلِقُ ڪُلِّ شَىۡءٍ۬ فَٱعۡبُدُوهُ‌ۚ

That is your lord , there is no deity except Him, creator of whole universe , so worship Him alone. (Al- Anaam:102)

لَّا تَجۡعَلۡ مَعَ ٱللَّهِ إِلَـٰهًا ءَاخَرَ فَتَقۡعُدَ مَذۡمُومً۬ا مَّخۡذُولاً۬ وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعۡبُدُوٓاْ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ Do not set up any other god along with Allah, or you will sit condemned, forsaken. And your Lord has commanded that you worship none but Him (Bani-Israiel:22-23)

مَا تَعۡبُدُونَ مِن دُونِهِۦۤ إِلَّآ أَسۡمَآءً۬ سَمَّيۡتُمُوهَآ أَنتُمۡ وَءَابَآؤُڪُم مَّآ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ بِہَا مِن سُلۡطَـٰنٍ‌ۚ إِنِ ٱلۡحُكۡمُ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ‌ۚ أَمَرَ أَلَّا تَعۡبُدُوٓاْ إِلَّآ إِيَّاهُ‌ۚ ذَٲلِكَ ٱلدِّينُ ٱلۡقَيِّمُ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَڪۡثَرَ ٱلنَّاسِ لَا يَعۡلَمُونَ

Whatever you worship, other than Him, are nothing but names you have coined, you and your fathers. Allah has sent down no authority for them. Sovereignty belongs to none but Allah. He has ordained that you shall not worship anyone but Him. This is the only right path. But most of the people do not know. (Yousuf:40)

Actually Islam wants to establish a close and direct relationship between the Creator and His creation. In Islam no mediating power of any kind exists between the Creator and His creation, while shirk is the second name of distribution of power and getting middle things between Allah and His creatures.

Effects of tauheed

Unity Equality Humbleness Greatness to men (it protects the dignity of human being) It creates a passion of bravery Cause of stability (self esteem) Patience and trust It creates a sense of accountability